Although I am not new to aquariums, I am in a new location with tap water that is very different than I am used to. I am cycling (dosing with ammonia to 3ppm) a new 65 gal tall tank, which after an initial misstep is finally starting to produce nitrates (yay!). Soon I will be adding various community fish, and I hope to maintain a neutral pH. Right now it's fishless and a few small plants.
My source water (tap) is very soft 1 deg KH and GH and very alkaline - the pH reading immediately out of the tap is literally off the chart high on the API high pH test. If I give it a day or two it comes down to maybe 8.2 or 8.4.
I've tried to use a combination of Acid Buffer and Alkaline buffer (Seachem), and this is working to a degree. The KH is now 3 deg and starts neutral, but the pH is crawling back up a day or two later. Perhaps the KH should be higher? How high should I try to get the KH?
What do you suggest as the best way to increase KH and get the pH to a stable neutral level? I could add crushed coral/aragonite in a mesh bag to the canister filter, but I understand that this will raise the pH, which is the opposite of where I want to go on pH. Could I use Acid Buffer to counteract the alkalinity? Posts sometimes refer to using water changes to replenish the KH, but in my case that won't really happen since the source is so low. I will need to either dose with water changes or use something that leaches KH over time.
Thanks for you thoughts.
My source water (tap) is very soft 1 deg KH and GH and very alkaline - the pH reading immediately out of the tap is literally off the chart high on the API high pH test. If I give it a day or two it comes down to maybe 8.2 or 8.4.
I've tried to use a combination of Acid Buffer and Alkaline buffer (Seachem), and this is working to a degree. The KH is now 3 deg and starts neutral, but the pH is crawling back up a day or two later. Perhaps the KH should be higher? How high should I try to get the KH?
What do you suggest as the best way to increase KH and get the pH to a stable neutral level? I could add crushed coral/aragonite in a mesh bag to the canister filter, but I understand that this will raise the pH, which is the opposite of where I want to go on pH. Could I use Acid Buffer to counteract the alkalinity? Posts sometimes refer to using water changes to replenish the KH, but in my case that won't really happen since the source is so low. I will need to either dose with water changes or use something that leaches KH over time.
Thanks for you thoughts.